This is the last release of Joomla 2.5 now what?

The Joomla developers are proud to bring you the absolute latest and greatest CMS software.

Joomla 2.5 is reaching its end of support on December 31st 2014. End of support means that the release shall not be actively developed and maintained from now on. Your website will still function as normal.

It’s time to update your installations to Joomla 3. According to the latest CMS Roadmap and development strategy, Joomla 3 is going to be maintained and actively developed for a long time to come with regular feature updates and bug fixes. Our goal is to maintain backwards compatibility in the 3 series. You can see the original announcement here.

For end users this means they move to a future ready, responsive CMS with some awesome new features.

For developers this means having to only support one Joomla version going forward which means more time to innovate and add more value.

Joomla 3 is more CMS than ever before - all the more reasons to upgrade.

What's more Joomla 2.5 to 3 is an update and does NOT need a painful migration process. The Update Working Group has some awesome easy to use resources to make your job even easier! Have more questions? Check out our FAQ’s below.

FAQ’s

Q: How do I upgrade from Joomla 2.5 to 3

A:The first step in any migration process is planning. Joomla 2.5 core will upgrade with a “one-click update” but third-party extensions need to be reviewed on a case by case basis. We have resources available to help with your upgrade planning.

Q: Which version will include an upgrade tool to go to 3.x from 2.5?

A: Core updates are able to be performed with ease via the update component (in 2.5.4 and later). Before updating, admins should check to ensure their templates and extensions are compatible with Joomla! 3.

Q: What version of Joomla! 3 will be stable?

A: It is stable at this time.

Q: What does End of Support mean?

A: End of support refers to when Joomla no longer provides bug fixes, features, or security updates. This is the time to make sure you have the latest available update of Joomla. Your website will continue to work as normal.

Q: Do you have an information packet?

A: Yes, we have marketing materials ready for you to share. We will be adding more resources and translations be sure to check back soon!

Q: Why discontinue the X.5 LTS strategy?

A: The X.5 LTS strategy prevented the PLT from issuing additional releases on a major release series. If 3.5 were to be the LTS for the 3.x series as previously planned, then any feature proposals or enhancements to the 3.x series would not be able to be merged until development started on 4.0. With the new release schedule in place, it is possible to continue development on the 3.x series without locking into a specific release as the “LTS” release, which enables a longer support period for the 3.x series overall.

Q. So, there's no more LTS right?

A. Correct. The concept of there being an LTS is being deprecated in favor of supporting the last release in a series for 2 years. Please see the original announcement here.